Here in Sevilla, the biggest meal of the day is lunch or almuerzo. It’s so nice to come home from class, eat lunch around 3:00 and then take a nap or siesta with a full stomach. The culture change took some getting used to at first, but I have learned to love it. Over the past week and a half I have tried so many delicious Spanish foods. Here are a few of my favorites…

Garbanzo Stew with green beans, potato and pumpkin. This is going to be so comforting when it cools down in a few weeks. My host mom used a pressure cooker to prepare this, just like my Grandma did with her Cuban Garbanzo Stew! She cooked around 5 different kinds of meat (chorizo, pork, beef, etc) with the veggies, but served the meat on the side to eat with bread or pan–almost like a second course to the stew.

Here are my host parents, Nati and Manuel. Aren’t they so adorable?! I am so blessed to be staying with them!

Tortillas are a classic Spanish dish made of eggs and thinly sliced potatoes. They are similar to a quiche or egg-bake, but way better! I love how the tortillas are filling and can be served with many different sauces. I was surprised to find out how much Spaniards love American ketchup!

Although this dish looks a little strange it was so delicious! The combination of Spinach and Garbanzo beans is so good, and healthy. I can’t wait to watch my host mom make this because it seems like it will be interesting. She was explaining how she adds fried bread soaked in olive oil and garlic to give the spinach a thicker consistency. We’ll see!

Speaking of fried…I am so amazed how the Spaniards eat so much fried food. Fried bread, fried chicken, fried hot dogs and my personal favorite–homemade french fries!

Can’t wait to share more of my adventures. Tonight I am going to a Cultural Festival and am going to take a Flamenco dance class!

Love food, love self, love life.

Gabriela